OPTICAL ELEMENT INCLUDING PHOTONIC CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE AND OPTICAL CONTROL METHOD

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical element which includes a photonic crystalline structure and can be reduced in size and weight and integrated to a higher scale and an optical control method using the same. SOLUTION: The optical element has a substrate having the photonic crystalline structure which is formed of two optical media, an optical medium 101 variable in refractive index and an optical medium 102 substantially invariable in the refractive index and of which the refractive index changes periodically and a refractive index control means 103 which controls the refractive index of at least a portion of the optical medium 101 variable in the refractive index. The defect of the refractive index periodic structure or another refractive index periodic structure is introduced into the photonic crystalline structure by the refractive index control means 103, by which a photonic band gap is changed and the state of incident light can be controlled.